The Doe and the Stag
by agent iz hyper
Summary: Cute little James/Lily fic I came up with. James goes to Hogsmeade alone, bored, and runs into a certain lovely Lily Evans, and it looks like she knows more than she lets on. Well... Who said going to Hogsmeade alone was boring?


**A/N: So, this is my first fanfic published on this site, and it's my first attempt at a romance fic so I'm not sure if it's too good. Hope you enjoy it though! :D**

**Cheers~ Izzy :3**

I trudged up Hogsmeade's crowded street, bored out of my mind. Third years pushed each other away in their eagerness to check out the shops, clusters of girls giggled their way into robe shops, a group of boys were crowded around admiring some newly-bought items from Devish and Banges. And here I was - James Potter, Marauder, Head Boy, prankster extraordanaire, and one of the most popular guys at school - wandering around Hogsmeade alone. Padfoot was in detention with McGonagall for Transfiguring her desk into a duck 'cause he was bored, Moony was in the hospital wing recovering from his 'furry little problem', and Wormtail had gone home for a while to visit his sick mother. I realised then just how much I relied on my mates to keep myself entertained.

"Hey - _watch it_!" I cried out as one third year ran into me. He rushed off without an apology. Damn gits, I thought as his mates ran after him wildly, I'm pretty sure we weren't that annoying and rude when we were that young. Scowling, I picked myself off the ground and headed into the first shop I saw - The Three Broomsticks. Great, I thought, as I saw how empty it was. The weather outside was too nice for anyone to stay indoors. I threaded my way through the various tables and chairs scattered all over in the pub and met Rosmerta at the bar.

"Hey Rosa," I grinned, using the nickname Sirius and I gave her back in fourth year, because we found 'Rosmerta' a bit of a mouth-full.

"James! Nice to see you," she smiled back, reaching over for a glass. "Butterbeer, or something stronger?"

"I'll take a Butterbeer, thanks." I drummed my fingers on the counter-top as she filled the glass.

"Where are the others?" She asked, looking around. "I don't think I've ever seen you alone here before," she chuckled, handing over my full glass.

"Yeah, my good mates decided to ditch me today," I replied with a straight face. She raised her eyebrows, and I grinned. "Nah, Sirius is in detention, Remus is sick, and Pete's mum's ill," I explained sipping my Butterbeer.

"Oh, I see. And you're left all alone. Well, if you're craving some company, I believe a certain Lily Evans is sitting alone at the far table in the corner."

"What?" My head zipped to the corner she was gesturing to and I saw the pretty red-head in question drinking Butterbeer and, indeed, alone. I grinned. Maybe I won't be so bored after all. "Great! Thanks Rosa!" I exclaimed joyfully, making my way over to Lily, Butterbeer held carefully in hand.

"Hey, Lils, fancy seeing you here," I said when I got closer. She looked up in surprise, then relaxed when she saw it was me.

"Hello James. You alone?" She enquired, looking around for the boys.

I chuckled. "Yep, for once in my life. Mind if I join you? I'm pretty bored."

"What, can't entertain yourself?" She raised an eyebrow, a smile quirked on her lips, but nodded for me to sit. I pulled back the chair, relaxing in it.

"Don't go spreading that around," I warned. "People might actually believe you!"

The Head Girl nodded seriously, playing along. "We can't have that, can we? Imagine what that would do to your public image!"

I pretended to be horrified. "What would people think of me? James Potter, the Marauder, all-time awesome Chaser, joker and prankster, can't even entertain himself? Oh, the horror of it!"

"You're so full of yourself," muttered Lils, but her lips were twitching. She drank some Butterbeer to hide it.

"Nah, I'm not... but Padfoot sure is. He's so full of himself I don't know how he fits anything else in there!" I shook my head, grinning somewhat fondly at my best mate's antics.

Lily snorted. "Yeah, you got something right, for once," she half-smirked.

"Oy! I get things right all the time!" I cried indignantly, folding my arms over my chest and pouting.

"Sure you do, James, sure you do," she humoured me, and I laughed.

We settled in companiable silence for a while, drinking our Butterbeers, Lily watching the kids outside the window, me watching her. Her rose-red locks curled naturally around her shoulders and her emerald eyes were glittering, and she had a slight crease between her eyebrows so I knew she was thinking hard about something. It was nice to actually be able to talk without her hexing me or me acting like a big jerk. If I was in this situation, say, a year before, I would've acted like an A-class git and the first words outta my mouth would've been something like "Go out with me, Evans?". Luckily, I was getting better at controlling myself when I was around her now, and I can happily say the results are satisfying. Ever since I got made Head Boy at the beginning of this year, we started getting along since she was Head Girl, and now... well, now, I guess, I'd say we were friends.

Suddenly, the red-head turned back to face me, a thoughtful and somewhat hesitant expression on her face. "Hey, James?"

"Yeah?"

"Where were you last night?"

I paled slightly. Last night had been a full moon, and Sirius, Peter and I were with Remus. We're Animagi (illegal ones, I should add) and we help Moony out on those tough nights. Of course, no-one knows he's a werewolf except us. "I was... with the boys."

"What were you doing?" she asked, eyes narrowing slightly. I didn't like the tone of her voice - it was interrogating, and she sounded as though she knew something.

I gulped. "Nothing, we were just... you know, doing our stuff - pranks and that," I invented wildly. I inwardly cursed myself for not thinking of something better - but then again, she always had this affect on me - I'd turn into a buffoon who can't think.

She became skeptical at this. "Really? Pranks - outside?"

My eyes widened. "What makes you think we were outside?"

Lils ignored my question. "You _were_ outside," she continued, in a lower voice. "I saw you." She paused for a bit, eyeing me. I had the feeling she was pretty amused, too, by the siruation. It wasn't every day that Lily Evans interrogates me on something and gets to watch me slowly getting a panic-attack while she had the upper hand. "It's pretty dangerous what you guys do, you know, but I guess I can undertsand it."

My breath hitched in my throat. Did she know? "What -" I spluttered, then cleared my throat and said in a more sure voice, "We weren't outside last night."

"Yes you were," she said, rolling her eyes. "With Remus. I know he's a werewolf, James," she added nonchalantly, as though she'd merely stated that she knew he was allergic to jam.

I stared at her, gobsmacked. Finally I got my voice back, enough to say, "How - how do you -?"

"-know?" she completed, and I nodded. "It was pretty obvious once I noticed all the signs. He always seemed to be sick once every month, or he had to go home for something. And always, after that, he'd be looking terrible. And I remembered how, when we were learning about werewolves in DADA, you four got all tensed up. I put the clues together."

"So..." I managed to finally comprehend what she was saying. "So, you're - you're fine with that, right?"

Her face softened at the question. "James, Remus is my friend, and knowing what he is and what he goes through doesn't change my opinion of him. It just makes him all the more braver, in my eyes. It isn't something he can help, and I understand why he'd keep it secret, with all the prejudice against werewolves that there is. I would have done so too, in his place."

I let out a breath, which I didn't know I was holding, and relaxed. "Right... that's... thanks," I finally managed to say. Lily cocked her head to one side.

"For what?"

"For not... for not changing your opinion of Moony because of this. I know how much it'll mean to him if you tell him - he'll be really grateful," I smiled, and she returned the gesture, contemplating me for a bit in silence.

"You four are really cose, aren't you? I mean, you're all joined at the hip - like brothers."

I grinned at that. "Yeah. All for one and one for all," I shrugged, thinking fondly of the somewhat-brotherly connection we had. "I don't have any brothers, so they pretty much fill in that spot, and the same for the others, since they're only children... Except Sirius, I mean. But he lives with me, so he's pretty much my surrogate brother anyway. I know I'd risk my neck for any of them - even if it's something illegal - as long as it helps." I didn't know why I was telling her all of this; it wasn't exactly something I shared with people, but there was somethign about Lily that made you open up. It probably didn't help that I've been head over heels in love with her since fourth year... Either that, or it wasn't Butterbeer in my drink.

"I can see that," Lils replied thoughtfully. "I mean, you've done so much for Remus, haven't you? You've gone to such extreme measures, all to help him out."

I slowly felt the blood draining from my face. Was she saying what I think she was saying? "What do you mean by 'extreme measures'?" I asked, managing to keep my voice under control.

She raised an eyebrow at this. "You know what I mean."

I decided to play dumb. "No, I don't."

"Well, what if I say, I find it really interesting that three certain Animagi I know - not counting McGonagall - have the same animals of their Animagus as their Patronuses?" I gaped at her. She leaned forward so that her face was inches from my own, and said in a low voice. "I know what you are, _Prongs_."

My heart beat faster, and not just because of her closeness. I could smell her peppermint breath. "Then tell me what I am," I murmured in an equally low voice, my hazel eyes meeting her green ones, daring her to say it.

She gazed at me, then suddenly got up. I sat back, surprised. "What -?"

"Follow me," Lily grabbed my arm and I followed her out, thoroughly confused. We walked away from the noisy village to a small patch of trees, out of anyone's sight. She turned to face me so abruptly, I almost collided with her, but caught myself in time. She had the same blazing expression as the one in the Three Broomsticks, and I looked back at her a little nervously. "Cast your patronus."

My eyebrows flew up in surprise, but I didn't say anything. Staring into those deep emerald green eyes, I pulled out my wand and muttered, "_Expecto Patronum_." My silver stag burst out of the wandtip and cantered around us in a tight circle. The redheaded beauty eyed it, then looked back at me. Again, I became aware of how close we were and my heart hammered in my chest, at that and at the fact that she was onto us - onto our big dark secret.

"That," she said quietly, "is your Animagus."

I didn't respond for a bit, then nodded silently, stepping back. In one sudden movement, my Patronus had disappeared, to be replaced by a real silvery stag in my spot. Lily gasped slightly at the suddenness, then moved closer, crouching so she was eye-level with me. I gazed at her, seeing the tenderness and awe in her eyes, and grinned to myself as she stroked my head.

"You know," she whispered, "you're really cute like that."

I softly hoofed the ground, and backed a pace to transform back so I was crouching in front of her. Without a word, Lily looked at me, took out her wand, and whispered, _Expecto Patronum_." Out of her wand burst the most beautiful silver doe I've ever seen. I watched it in amazement. It galloped up to me and softly nuzzled my cheek. I laughed slighlty, and it faded.

"James..."

I turned my head back to Lily, who had the blazing look on her face again.

"You're the stag, I'm the doe," she whispered, then leaned forward and brushed her lips with mine. I froze with shock, and she pulled back, a slight smile on her face. "How about a ride, Prongs?"

I cracked a grin. "I'll make it the ride of your life." I transformed back into the stag and lowered myself so she could get on. Then, making sure she was holding tight, I cantered away, Lily laughing and whooping happily.

I took her to a clear grassy clearing away from Hogsmeade, and retransformed myself, turning so I was lying on the grass beside her. I felt elated. I glanced at her peaceful face and muttered, "Still think I'm cuter as a stag?"

She raised an eyebrow, giving me a small grin. "Much." We lay in silence for a while, then she said, "So, Sirius is a dog, right? And Peter's a... rat?"

"Mm, yeah. That's how we got the nicknames... though I wanted to call Sirius the Grim. He didn't seem to like it." I laughed, remembering Prongs' face when I told him that. "How did you find out about us, anyway?"

Lily shrugged. "I've often seen a dog and stag outside on some nights, but usually I was too tired to think much of it. Then last night, when Isaw you three sneaking out and saw the three animals again later on, I made the connection."

I laughed quietly. "You're so observant. And here I was, thinking that no-one in the world would ever find out... You're taking this pretty calmly, though; I mean, we are_ illegal _Animagi, you know."

Lils smiled wryly. "What did you expect me to do, scream to Dumbledroe and tell him?" She rolled over onto her stomach and looked at me intensely. "The stag has hazel eyes too, you know."

I blinked at her in surprise, my stomach doing somersaults. "Does it?" I murmured, feeling slightly vulnerable all of a sudden.

"Yeah..." then she smirked. "You're so vulnerable. It's funny."

"I am not vulnerable," I objected weakly. She laughed; a lovely tinkling sound that filled my ears. I smiled. "Hey Lils?" I muttered.

"Hmm?"

I sat up a bit, getting closer to her. "You're the best," I whispered, pulling her into a kiss which she responded to warnly. I felt her smile, and a shock went through me, like the stag inside me had been waiting to rejoice with the doe.

Who said going to Hogsmeade alone was boring?


End file.
